Lois Elinor Payne

Lois Elinor was born to Effie & Melvin Lundgren on July 22, 1931 in Turlock, California, where she joined her older sister Nila and brother Chesley (all now deceased). She passed peacefully at her home on February 18, 2020.

Her family moved to Vallejo in 1942, where Lois was graduated from Vallejo Junior High & Vallejo Senior High. Lois accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior in the 8th grade under evangelist Dr. Kaltenborn. She and her sister were baptized on the same night in May of her 8th grade at First Baptist Church, Vallejo.

After working for two years, she attended and graduated from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois with a certificate in Christian Education – Music Course and a Teacher’s Diploma.

She married Frank Payne on June 9, 1956. They had three wonderful daughters, Nancye Blasingame (Tom), Julie Rubio, and Claudia Bowman (Ron), and three granddaughters—Cassidy Cooper, Madison and Natalie Bowman—and four grandsons—David (Kerry), Benjamin (deceased), Thomas (Lauren) and Aaron (Therese) Rubio and 2 great grandsons—Jayce and Jayden.

Lois enjoyed a working career as a secretary, bookkeeper and mainly preschool teacher. She enthusiastically participated in and supported the work of Child Evangelism Fellowship and Gideon’s International Auxiliary. For many years she was mentor mom and Bible Story Lady for MOPS and served on the Global Outreach Team at Golden Hills Community Church. She played the piano for the hymn services at Antioch Covenant Church and for several years she planned and led the “Church Gang,” an outing group for seniors in the Bay Area. Also, for numerous years she and Frank fulfilled their civic duty as they served as Poll Workers on election days.

A travel enthusiast, she and Frank were almost always on the go. They embarked on numerous outings, including visiting museums and points of interest (San Francisco was a favorite), attending two World’s Fairs (1967 and 1986), camping trips, family get-togethers, many return stays in Hawaii and Tahoe, and extra-special trips like seeing the Fall colors, Alaskan and Mexican Cruises, and her ancestral homeland of Sweden.

Lois and Frank lived in their Brentwood home for 50 years before moving to Senior Living at Cortona Park, where she played the piano for the Cortona Choir and remembered birthdays with cards for friends. Often spotted wearing matching jackets and holding hands, Lois and Frank were married for nearly 63 years.

Lois requested donations in her honor in lieu of flowers be made to Antioch Covenant Church, Continuum Hospice and The Gideons International. 

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